


Lost Blood

by Kurisuta



Category: Cirque du Freak | The Saga of Darren Shan - Darren Shan, House of Night - P. C. Cast & Kristin Cast, Trinity Blood
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Priestesses, Vampires, Vampyres
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27442111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kurisuta/pseuds/Kurisuta
Summary: Set in the world of Trinity Blood, Neferet is plotting to take over the post-Apocalyptic world through a cross-species war between Methuselah, Vampyres, Vampires, and Vampaneze. The struggle is potent between two crucial women Kurai and Reiko, tovaras to the end—or are they?
Relationships: Darren Shan/Original Female Character(s)





	1. False Prophet

2400 AD

Istvan

It was a quiet night in the city known as the Pearl of the Danube, silent except for the sounds of the creatures out there, feeding. Kurai, a small child of a Methuselah family who had yet to go through the Change, whimpered in the small black car, unsure why they would break a two hundred year treaty in such a violent way--but knowing they could smell fear.

The holo-screen in the dashboard turned on automatically, a sign that this was, indeed, an emergency.

"We apologize for the interruption. There seems..."

Puzzled, Kurai poked at the dashboard screen. It flickered back to life, the Vatican reporter looking positively terrified.

"...vampires turning feral. They are known as Red Vampires. Any Vampire who dies will now be subject to what is being called the Curet Bacillus, turning them into mindless killers. We have live footage..."

It flickered again. Feral...as in, losing their minds? That doesn't make sense!

When the picture returned, it was of a normal looking vampire with red markings coloring its face. It was devouring a human being.

"Again, I would like to remind all citizens of Albion that a mass evacuation has been called. Do not come near the Reds. They are no longer sentient beings."

The monitor on the dashboard fizzled again. Dr Iyumi Fortuna, Kurai’s father, led the 12-year-old fully Changed Methusalah Ion, Kurai’s brother, to the large, bulky 20th Century equivalent car. Following them was Radu Barvon, Ion’s tovaras that he had insisted they not leave behind.

Kurai turned the dial on the monitor.

"Stay away from quarantined areas such as Londinium and Carthage. The Reds will--"

The signal died completely and a loud siren sounded. Cries could be heard in the streets as people began to panic. Is this the second apocalypse?

A small, equally ugly black car drove and parked behind them. Dr Toshio Asran and his wife Dr Astharoshe Asran stepped out of the car. Asthe lifted out of the car Reiko Asran, Kurai’s best friend.

Kurai moved to leave the car and go out to meet her, but Kurai’s mother, Dr Kanawa Fortuna, stopped her.

The Asran family hid in the back of the Fortuna’s car as they drove to Father's research facility. Kurai was five. The Earth was filled with nightmares now.

Satellite 475 was their only chance.

2900 AD

Sattilite 475

Kanawa waited in distress for her husband's return. Lately he had been going to the other side of the facility alone for hours, although sometimes he would bring with him Kurai. He often muttered 'Almost time, almost' to himself.

Her blue eyes widened in fear. She faulted herself, of course, for not coming up with a cure herself--it had made Iyumi desperate, a man obsessed. The Enemy capitalized on that. That enemy whose name she was not permitted to speak in front of Asthe, who had lost so much...

In this case, there was too much at stake. If they failed to cure the Curet Bacillus, they would die--no, they would destroy each other.

3050 AD

Island of Beloved Children

Empire

"To thank him for his gift of life to our people, we present the title of Vizier to Dr Iyumi Fortuna!"

Kurai stared up at the green veiled Empress, awarding him for saving the methuselah. Kurai was aware that the Empress did not actually trust him, but the phrase 'know thine enemy' came to mind. She wanted him close so she could keep an eye on him.

The Empress was actually the Head High Priestess of a group of all the High Priestesses in the covens of Methuselah—also called vampyres, by terrans—that made up her Council. She was strong and powerful.

Someday when Kurai went through the Change, she wanted to become a Methuselah like the Empress. Or like Mother or Nii-san. Kurai’s older brother Ion was a Tracker. He went forth throughout the Empire and Outside World and Marked future Methuselah. They then retreated to the Empire until they either made the Change or died. If they made the Change, some left the Empire to return to the Outside again. Rarely.

Kurai’s blue eyes flicked through her dark bangs, and caught a glimpse of her Father recieving his powerful title and smirking and relishing it.

Yes yes, revel in your 'discovery'. Was it worth what you did? I'm so mad I could-

"Sister?" The innocent eyes of Ion, her elder brother, softened Kurai’s features.

"Yes, we apologize for worrying thee, dear brother," Kurai said evenly. "But we cannot forgive him."

"Come now, Kurai, Ion," Mother stood. "Thy father is a good man."

In other words, 'he must remain a good man in the the public eye'. The red virus almost caused another war between the Empire and the Outside. It was contained because we were so quick with our ‘cure’. But if we tell them what happened up there—

There was a loud siren like whistle, and something hurt so bad I could feel my bones crying. Then all was still again.

My tovaras, Reiko, interrupted my thoughts. The ceremony was over. "The Empress has asked that thee join us in a confidential mission Outside. Ion shall join at some point, but we cannot reveal anything further. We shall divulge the rest when safely Outside the Empire."

I raised a dark eyebrow. Unlike Ion, I have the dark hair of our mother. My tovaras has blonde hair with red tips, rather like Asthe, her mother. 

"The Orden hast made my father a powerful man," I said in a dull voice. "This mission...shall it bring forth vengeance?"

Reiko's lips curled into a smile. "Oh thou hast no idea, Tovaras."

***

Neferet’s long auburn hair was untied and shone the color of blood in the moonlight. She sat at the head of the table.

Two other men and a woman stood next to her. The woman was visibly shaking, and holding something. A red crescent adorned her brow. To most in the world, these people were called 'Rosencrutz Orden.'

"Did you find a reaction from the Curet Bacillus?" asked Neferet. "Well done. I knew it would be among those on the Island. It is fortunate that all of those from the mission on Sattelite 425 are coming here to Istvan.”

Dietrich sat idly next to the woman, who insisted she be called ‘Goddess’. "The Curet reacted and stopped our transmission."

He showed the ‘goddess’ his findings of the radioactive reaction in the Empire after their broadcast. Neferet’s smile widened.

"This world must follow our direction now," she grinned. "We must control the Curet, and with it, destroy the last vestiges of humankind's false utopia! And once we extinguish those threats, this world will be his once again!”

She spoke, of course, of their true leader, whom she had promised with her plans would be brought back from the Otherworld. She insisted on calling him ‘Kalona’ but to the others he was known simply as ‘Cain’ or ‘Mein Herr’.

The six raised their glasses in a toast. "Igne natura renovatur integra!”


	2. Last Night

Graveyard

Istvan, Hungaria

Neferet’s long auburn hair was untied and shone the color of blood in the moonlight. She stood in the cemetery of the small town and inhaled. She opened her right hand, and gestured into the darkness.

The shadows themselves rippled and followed her fingers, parting to reveal the hiding red fledgling. The girl, Maria, dropped to one knee, trembling. “Goddess…I have the blood you require.”

Neferet took the three vials. Blood of Vampyre, Vampire, and Vampaneze. She poured the mixture on the graveyard soil.

The shadows pooled and became like a liquid. Before her was the shimmering naked visage of a winged man…no, god! Neferet reached out and spoke to him.

“Kalona my love, our plans will soon come to fruition,” she smiled. “The Curet will be Marked by dawn.”

Central Park

Larten Crepsley, Darren Shan, and Kurda Smahlt finished passing out flyers to the last person in line. Darren was in a bad mood. He was nervous and had a foreboding sensation that something terrible was coming.

This was his hometown. Something terrible could not come here! He suddenly understood why Crepsley had been so keen to catch Murlough so many years ago.

But this time he had to remember that he and Kurda were here as Princes. The War of the Scars could be won by whichever side won over the Vampyres.

The Vampyres were the ancient flipside of the Vampires and Vampaneze. Not related by blood, these creatures were born creatures of the night. They were led by female leadership. If Arra Sails was still alive, she would have been sent on this mission with Darren.

Neferet had assured the Vampire Council that she could bring Darren and Kurda to her Vampyre Council, as she herself had a seat, being a High Priestess.

Apparantly it was lucky her school was located in Darren’s hometown. It was a great plan, a clever coincidence. Or destiny. And Darren hated Destiny.

Istvan Church

Kanawa Fortuna was now Bishop of Istvan Church. She worked for the Vatican, attempting to negotiate peace in the post-Apocolyptical world. Currently, she sat at the window, watching as a strange light crossed the sky, echoing in her blue childish eyes. Although she appeared twenty or so, the methuselah, or vampyres as humans called them, could live well past the normal age.

Kanawa's eyes clouded over with tears. She would not let them make her children into warriors...

***

For a last night of peace, a blonde twin slept next to her dark haired sister. The girls were the only nuns at this church; Sister Rei (the blonde), and Sister Kurai (the ebony haired girl).

Sister Kurai's eyes were open, and watching the strange light in the sky. It was as if the universe was pressing at her mind to remember something vital.

****

And even as these events occurred, a silver haired man named Abel Nightroad stood in the doorway of the home. He had been about to knock, but then he too, had seen that light-and a serious look crossed his face.

"Oh Lord, why must you bestow swords upon the young and the weak..."


	3. Ominous Moon

Istvan Church

Istvan, Hungaria

Ion Fortuna glared at Abel. “You were ordered by my Grandmother, Mirka Fortuna, High Priestess and member of the Vampyre Council, to assist me in my first ever Tracking mission, and you’re already distracted!”

The blue crescent—filled in and surrounded by crossed swords—on Ion’s forehead seemed to flash when he was angry. He gripped his hand in pain.

“Is the Tracker Mark causing you pain, Ion?” Abel asked, concerned.

“We are here,” Ion said, pain easing as he entered the house, making short work of the human alarm system. The Fortuna family owned a large security company in this country. “Stay put, Abel.”

Ion went into the living room and found his sister and her tovaras asleep on the couch. No! This can’t be right! An adult cannot be Marked. We are Marked during puberty. What is happening, Nyx?

A soothing calm washed over him. His Tracker Mark eased and he held out his hand and spoke the incantation: “Kurai Fortuna! Reiko Asran! Night has chosen thee; thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee, hearken to her sweet voice. Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night.”

Ion was startled. The crescents both appeared on the foreheads of the Sisters, but his sister, Kurai, had tattoos already, though hers was not filled in!

Her tattoos resembled a strange design like fireworks or something. Ion couldn’t remember where, but he had seen it somewhere before.

As he left, he touched the forehead of the blonde, feeling compelled. “Reiko Asran, beloved Priestess of Nyx, I ask you to accept my Warrior’s Oath. Sworn to you this day I pledge to protect you with my heart, my mind, my body, and my soul. I pledge to belong to you before all others, and to be your Warrior until I draw my last breath on this world and beyond, if our Goddess so wills it. Do you accept my Oath?”

Reiko stirred. “I-Ion…it’s you…of course I accept!”

They hugged, and then he explained that he had to get back to the House of Night, but he couldn’t wait to see her there.

Ion left the house with his bodyguard Abel Nightroad, and headed to the nearest House of Night to report this to the High Priestess.

House of Night

Neferet finished her breakfast. It was early nighttime. The shadows pooled around her and danced, and she headed into the main hallway. This was her home, the House of Night, a sanctuary to new fledglings as they made their essential journey to the Empire. She was the High Priestess of the Methuselah in Istvan, and as it was a city on the border to the Empire, she met most new fledglings as they entered.

She was secretly the leader of the Rosencrutz and was inciting rebellion amongst the Istvan Methuselah. She had convinced Gyula, a methuselah noble living in Istvan, that his terran wife had been murdered by terrans. Now he hated the Church, which was the leader in Europe.

Neferet had her perfect chance to win. Now all she had to do was wait for one of those hideous monsters in the sewers to undergo the Change. Currently she was using them to cause death amongst the terrans and more chaos. The closer they were to war the better.

Eventually her sibling races, the vampires and vampaneze, would present themselves. She hoped to unite all vamps under herself as Goddess and her consort Kalona.

The Shadows had told her that her sacrifice to bring forth Kalona would present itself as a threat and she must extinguish it. She had no problem with this.

“Priestess,” Ion said respectfully, bowing to Neferet as he met her in the Meeting Hall.

Abel sat quietly to one side, eyeing the shadows suspiciously. He made her more nervous than most. Could he see past her? Could he understand what she was planning?

“I have Marked a pair of sisters today,” Ion continued. “Sister Kurai and Reiko Inoue. They are nuns.”

“And?” Neferet said idly. “You mark a lot of people Ion.”

“But these were adults,” Ion protested. “And one girl, Kurai, was Marked with tattoos.”

A threat…keep your enemies close, thought Neferet. “She will make an excellent High Priestess one day.”

Neferet smiled. “Go Ion. You and Abel will escort these young women to the House of Night.”

Istvan Church

Kurai woke on the couch and knew that she had to get to the House of Night and the Empire soon, along with Reiko. She looked down at Reiko and noticed she now had a greenish-red aura around her. Kurai looked out the window at the night and then saw something…someone. She felt dizzy suddenly and passed out.

***

A group of Red Fledglings argued while pointing at our church.

There was a pause as a man approached, human, but entwined in evil. "I can destroy that church for you."

Strings, a symbolism that I did not, as of yet, understand, followed this strange man, and suddenly the Reds were working with him.

Another pause and the vision changed to show the same man enter the office of a nearby high up methuselah-Gyula. "I can get your revenge for you."

The vision showed Gyula using the Reds granted him by the strange man to force Albion's Terrans into submission, leaving the methuselah in charge of the city.

Another shift and the strange man entered Gyula's chamber with my sister. Tears pouring from her cheeks, she raised her gun and shouted, "Igne natura renovatur integra!"

***

Kurai woke on the bed, a concerned stranger and Reiko staring at her. "Gomen! I ah...I think I fainted!"

"Yeah you fell right as Father Abel Nightroad here opened the door," Reiko said, brushing back a strand of blonde hair. "Lucky for you."

"Are you alright?" the Father asked, concern in his grey eyes. He had silver hair tied back in a ponytail. "You hit your head pretty hard."

"Ah," Kurai touched her forehead, remembering her tattoos. I have tattoos and a fledgling mark. I am one of a kind.

"Ane-ue..." Kurai spoke softly, directly at Rei. "Please take our guest to his room and inform him of the...dangers...of loitering around Istvan at night."

Father Nightroad began to protest, but when Reiko mentioned dinner, he was quick to leave. With a wink to Kurai, so was Rei.

Kurai’s eyes flashed silver, as she tried to enhance her powers. Time to change the future. Kurai leapt from the church window, into the night.

Central Park

Kurai skidded to a stop in a clearing. There was a tall man with cropped red hair and a young man around my age standing passing out green flyers. Kurai walked forward.

“Can I see one please? I’ll give it back,” Kurai asked one of the people who had received one.

“Okay but you have to return it,” the woman said. “I want to get my ticket.”

The flyer said ‘Cirque du Freak’ on it and was covered with an ad about all the various acts in the cirque. But the curious thing was the design. It was plastered on Kurai’s forehead!

Kurai handed the flyer back and her eyes met with the young man handing them out. He had brown eyes and dark hair. He was watching her.

***

Kurai had things to do. She had never hunted down Reds before, so she was scared. But she didn’t want her home to be destroyed either.

Kurai entered a clearing, swinging down from a tree and kicking down one of the Reds.

"How dare you!" cried the second Red.

"You have conspired to destroy the church of Istvan." Kurai whispered, holding out her hand and calling forth the element of Spirit that she had an affinity toward.

One of the Reds ran forward and would have taken her down but—a man was suddenly between them. It was the dark haired man from the Cirque! With the strength and speed of a methuselah, he stabbed out at her with his knife-sharp nails.

The Red collapsed and bled out. “Vampire…”

Kurai doubled back, but the man wasn’t done, he grabbed the other Red and held her up. “Who are you working for?!”

The Red coughed up blood and stared at him. “Dietrich von Lohengrin.”

The Vampire tried to stab the Red, but Kurai grabbed his arm. “She told you. Let her go!”

The vampire looked at her, sighed, and released the Red, looking angry. The Red scampered off. “It’s just going to destroy your church.”

“Who are you?” Kurai asked, having never met a vampire before.

“Darren Shan,” the vampire answered, then flitted away.

Father Abel Nightroad appeared in the moonlight and took Kurai’s hand. “Sister Kurai. You are no longer safe here. You’ll be a priestess soon.”

Kurai was angry at this and tried to pull away.

“It’s not like that,” the Father said quietly, and knelt, fisting a hand over his heart. “Kurai Fortuna, beloved Priestess of Nyx, I ask you to accept my Warrior’s Oath. Sworn to you this day I pledge to protect you with my heart, my mind, my body, and my soul. I pledge to belong to you before all others, and to be your Warrior until I draw my last breath on this world and beyond, if our Goddess so wills it. Do you accept my Oath?”

Kurai stared at him, dumbstruck. “I’m no Priestess…”

“You will be,” Father Nightroad said. “I’m waiting.”

“I accept.”


End file.
